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The siren song margaret atwood analysis
The siren song margaret atwood analysis
The siren song margaret atwood analysis
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The poem that I am writing about is The Siren Songs by Margaret Atwood. I chose this poem because it was interesting to read and had a lot of mystery, which I like because it makes you think more. The figurative elements that I’m writing about are metaphor and repetition. The reason that I am doing metaphor is because it exaggerates how powerful the song is and that it really is that powerful. and the second one is repetition. It starts out in several paragraphs with ‘the song’ and ‘you’ or ‘only you’ In the poem it says “The song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons even though they see beached skulls.” That it is not being literal because it is exaggerating how powerful the song can be. It also has repetition in it
The story of Odysseus' encounter with the Sirens and their enchanting but deadly song appears in Greek epic poetry in Homers Odyssey. The Sirens in the ‘Siren Song’ by Margaret Atwood,are portrayed in a variety of ways. The Sirens are lethal,underprivileged and deluding.
A good example would be when the mother in the story talks about her life using a metaphor of a staircase. In the beginning of the poem, the mother says, "Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, [...] But all the time, I’se been a-climbin’ on" (Hughes lines 1-9). This metaphor describes the mother's life experience, the reader can infer was hard, but the nice part of this excerpt is the final lines, where the metaphor of continuing to climb on the staircase is used to symbolize the mother's goal to persevere, no matter how tough life gets because she believes her efforts will accomplish something good.
In the epic poem the "Odyssey" by Homer, there are creatures known as sirens. These creatures lure people to their death by singing a song in which it makes a person follow what the sirens say. In the "Siren Song" by Margret Atwood, she writes the song of how she interprets it by using modern English. The two literary works portray the Sirens similar in tone and differently in point of view.
Throughout modern history the ancient Greeks and their stories have influenced our culture and way of life. Many of the ancient Greek myths are those of caution that teach us moral lessons. For example, the myth of Odysseus and the sirens, told by Homer in The Odyssey, teaches us to resist the urge to indulge in temptations. Odysseus and his crew are travelling near the island of the sirens when Odysseus plugs the ears of his crewmates with beeswax and has them tie him to the mast so that he can listen to the sirens’ song and not crash their ship onto the rocks as they pass the island. Odysseus and his crew safely pass the island of the sirens without any casualties and continue on their journey home. Author Margaret Atwood and artist John William Waterhouse both display their brilliant ideas about the myth of Odysseus and the sirens using poetry and painting. Both Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse and “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood use the myth of the sirens to show that during their lives, people often encounter bad temptations that can lead to their demise and should pay no attention to such temptations.
Within “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant, he states “She has a voice of gladness, and a smile/And eloquence of beauty, and she glides/Into his darker musings, with a mild/And healing sympathy (Bryant, 4-6).” The “she” Bryant is referring to is Mother Nature, which makes his statement that nature can take away a man’s pain that much more powerful. By personifying nature, the reader feels as though they can relate to “her” in a different way. A poem that uses powerful metaphors is “The First Snowfall” by James Russell Lowell. Within his poem, he states, “From sheds new-roofed with Carrara/Came Chanticleer’s muffled crow/The stiff rails were softened to swan’s-down/And still fluttered down the snow (Lowell, 9-12).” The line “from sheds new-roofed with Carrara” is referring to how pure and white the snow that had just recently fallen looks. Carrara is an expensive white marble. So, Lowell is comparing expensive items to the snow, which helps put an image of a beautiful snowfall into the reader’s head. By using both personification and metaphors, the reader can relate to the words being said in a completely different way, and thus understand the abstract ideas that the authors are trying to convey in their Romantic
Figurative Language in used throughout poems so the reader can develop a further understanding of the text. In “The Journey” the author uses rhythm and metaphors throughout the poem. “...as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of the clouds..”(25-27). The author compares the star burning to finding your voice. Rhythm also develops the theme of the poem because throughout the story rhythm is presented as happy showing growing up and changing for the better is necessary and cheerful. In “The Laughing Heart” the author uses imagery and metaphors to develop the theme throughout the book. “There is a light somewhere. It may not be much light but it beats the darkness”(5-7). Always find the good out of everything, even it
A stereotype is a trap, a cage, which restricts individuals to one identity. Once a stereotype is created, it is hard to overcome and leaves traces of prejudice. In agreement with Alicia Ostriker’s The Thieves of Language: Women Poets and Revisionist Mythmaking, Margaret Atwood’s poem “Siren Song” is a reach out for women to express feelings on gender discrimination without coming across in a way that would engender negative support. “Siren Song”, is written from the perspective of a siren, in a mythological setting but with a contemporary tone, that is restricted to the stereotype of a seductress who seeks to sing men to their deaths but in reality, she wants to break free and find someone that will not fall for her song.
Then there was the time when he and his men were captured by the cyclops and trapped in his cave. He got then Cyclopes drunk then stabbed him in the eye. Then the next day Odysseus tied himself and all of his men to the bottoms of the sheep so when the cyclops grabbed the sheep and took them outside he couldn't tell that they were there. Another example is when passing the sirens whose sweet song lured men to their deaths he had his men tie him so that he could not move, then had them put earplugs in (on themselves and not him) so that he would be able to hear the siren song and drown while his crew navigated the
Voices, beautiful voices erupt in a song of agony and a hope for help. To any person, they seem harmless and to any sailor, the voices desire help. There is no escape when a siren sings her song for help because for every sailor that listens to her song, they die trying to fulfill her request. Sadly, they just cannot overpower the amount of temptation being formed by these creatures. A painting can capture this moment while also creating a sense of the surroundings and a feel for both sides of the story. However, some may believe that a descriptive poem can produce a more satisfying setting. In the end, a painting possesses more qualities that can captivate a setting more vividly. John William Waterhouse’s painting, Ulysses and the Sirens,
You have heard stories about the Sirens. Mythical creatures that lure sailor in with their beautiful song, leading them to their death. But is this all there is to them? Are they really the merciless killers stories make them out to be, or are they simply misunderstood? The Sirens are creatures greatly misunderstood. Singing this melody of death is their punishment for not fulfilling their job, they do not actually want to sing it, and by singing this, they do not want to kill anyone, but rather kill themselves to free themselves.
In the poem pride, Dahlia Ravikovitch uses many poetic devices. She uses an analogy for the poem as a whole, and a few metaphors inside it, such as, “the rock has an open wound.” Ravikovitch also uses personification multiple times, for example: “Years pass over them as they wait.” and, “the seaweed whips around, the sea bursts forth and rolls back--” Ravikovitch also uses inclusive language such as when she says: “I’m telling you,” and “I told you.” She uses these phrases to make the reader feel apart of the poem, and to draw the reader in. She also uses repetition, for example, repetition of the word years.
When writing poetry, there are many descriptive methods an author may employ to communicate an idea or concept to their audience. One of the more effective methods that authors often use is linking devices, such as metaphors and similes. Throughout “The Elder Sister,” Olds uses linking devices effectively in many ways. An effective image Olds uses is that of “the pressure of Mother’s muscles on her brain,” (5) providing a link to the mother’s expectations for her children. She also uses images of water and fluidity to demonstrate the natural progression of a child into womanhood. Another image is that of the speaker’s elder sister as a metaphorical shield, the one who protected her from the mental strain inflicted by their mother.
Another way that Trethewey brings this poem together is through the use of
The sirens are a significant factor in Homer’s Epic poem ‘The Odyssey”, they have been reinterpreted throughout the years in many different mediums such as TV, movies, and other works of literature. One of the most notable manifestations is the poem The Sirens Song by Margaret Atwood. Ms. Atwood's portrayal of the mythical creatures is similar to Homer's but at the same time it is quite different.
Throughout the poem, there were four types of literary devices I found. All of the devices are sending out the message of respecting Earth and all its components that make it Earth.